Wines of Brocha, South Africa

Small is beautiful, natural is best. Brocha Vineyards is home to 10 hectares of vineyards which produce One Man Band and Solace, a 15-hectare conservation area of fynbos, and 5 hectares dedicated to pastures for a small herd of Nguni cattle. This division of land is in keeping with Rozy Gunn's philosophy that a farm gives due recognition to the critical relationship between formal agriculture, natural vegetation, and animals to function as a healthy and independent farm organism.

Viticulture

Solace and One Man Band are expressions of Rozy's agricultural and life philosophy. Biodynamic farming is the coal face of these wines, and her reluctance to use any synthetic or systemic products on Brocha is in direct line with my attempt to produce intelligent and resilient vines which can weather the vagaries of climate and weather, and to offer the consumer access to wines which are sincere and genuinely representative of site and season without the interference and gloss offered by outside inputs and clever techniques or chemical residues. The process involves constant questioning of one’s motives and respect for site which is more powerful and relevant to our wines than her ego. Respect for the soil and the vines is paramount and she is determined to continue to employ more human hands and use organic and biodynamic products in favour of cheaper hard chemicals.

Winemaking

Werner Muller makes these wines with extreme dedication, intelligence and little else. No whole bunch, no added enzymes for settling, no fining or filtration. Producing wines which reflect the minimal intervention approach adopted in the vineyard and apply it in the cellar.